Making the most of Return to Office

Managing A Career

If your company has a hybrid policy, how can you best use your time in the office? Well, first you should make sure you understand and comply with all aspects of the new policy. Are there specific days that you must be in the office? Do you have a designated space or are you participating in Community shared desk system? Which days and what locations will most of your coworkers leverage when they work from the office?

Most companies, as they roll out these return to office policies, state that the primary driver for them is to foster collaboration. It's very likely that you primarily interact with those on your team, or those that are directly involved in your projects. When you work remotely. So as you go back to the office, look for opportunities to spend face to FaceTime with business partners and key decision makers. You should really understand where those people will be and make it a point of spending time in those areas, especially for those important hallway conversations. When you do meet with team members in the office, focus on using that in person time to brainstorm solutions to difficult problems or to build agreement on next steps in your project.

Because there will be days that you go into the office and other days where you'll work from home, you're going to need to take full control of your schedule. Don't be afraid to decline meetings or suggest alternative times to ensure that your calendar aligns with the most appropriate work for the location that you're going to be in that day. For the days that you will be in the office, plan adequate networking time to ensure that you focus on those all-important face to face conversations. Reserve your at home days for deeper work where you have fewer disruptions. Additionally, review Episode 023 - "Can you be successful working remote?" For more tips on how to make the best use of your working from home time.

If you aren't going to have a designated home, Oregon or you find yourself working in a community area, it's going to be harder to be comfortable in your new working environment. Consider purchasing the essentials that you bring with you when you go to the office. Having things such as your own mouse or a headset or USB hub. It ensures that you can work how you want no matter where you're stationed. There are even things like a USB external monitor. If you work best with second monitor. Also consider going paperless to ensure that important documents aren't left behind when moving from one location to another.

In spite of returning to office, be sure to maintain your work life balance. The additional commute time is already going to have an impact on your personal life, so setting strict boundaries to ensure that you leave the office on time is important. Save your late nights for days when you work from home, especially since those days will be focused on more deep work. This should provide more flexibility, allowing you to still spend time with your family. Episode 019 - "Work / Life Balance" has additional tips on this topic.

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